How do you get kids excited about neuroscience? Try handing them a brain.
First-year doctoral students in the Integrative Neuroscience at Dartmouth (IND) program, part of the Guarini School of Graduate and Advanced Studies, organized the 12th annual Upper Valley Brain Bee, continuing a Dartmouth tradition dating back to 2013.
The event brought together 10 high school competitors from across the region, as well as about 75 attendees and 35 volunteers, including graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, and faculty.
Held in Moore Hall, the day opened with a neuroscience fair where students examined real brains, observed noninvasive recordings of brain activity, and heard a keynote talk from Dr. Mike Hoppa, a Dartmouth neuroscientist who studies how neurons communicate. Brain Bee competitors then faced questions spanning brain anatomy to neurological disorders.
For the IND students running the event, the day was as much about inspiration as logistics. “The level of curiosity and enthusiasm they brought was amazing,” said Erica Lavoie, a first-year IND doctoral student and one of the event’s organizers. “It honestly reminded me of being in their position and first getting excited about neuroscience.”
That sense of purpose made the organizational challenge worthwhile. “It definitely pushed my classmates and me to step outside of our comfort zones,” Lavoie said, “but by the end, it felt really fulfilling to see everything come together.”
Adrushya Iyer of Hollis Brookline High School took first place and will advance to the USA National Brain Bee in 2027. Celia Ephram of Phillips Exeter Academy finished second, and her classmate Jessica Fan took third.
For the 35 volunteers who made it happen, the day was as much about connecting with the community as it was about competition.
